Mother Nature has taken over the basement of Morrill Hall. Moss has engulfed much of the basement and the Virginia Creeper has grown in through an open window that will no longer close.

An old camera sits among this scene of mankind versus nature, left over from the days when the basement held the Photo Services offices.

In the Monday meeting of the City of Ames Historic Preservation Commission, representatives of Iowa State gave a presentation titled: “Morrill Hall: Honoring the Heritage of Iowa State.”

Tanya Zanish-Belcher, head of special collections for Parks Library, and Kerry Dixon, projects coordinator for Facilities Planning and Management, discussed how Morrill Hall would be changed from a mix of the elements to a state-of-the-art building, housing three programs.

The Center for Teaching Excellence, the Center for Visual Learning in Textiles and Clothing and the Christian Petersen Art Museum will be housed in Morrill Hall when its renovation is finished in 2006.

Morrill Hall has stood vacant since 1997, when it was closed for safety reasons. A structural analysis of the building was completed in 2002 to decide if the building was structurally sound, Dixon said.

Its cavity wall, one of the oldest remaining in the United States, was determined to be sound. However, many renovations must be made to the building before any programs move into their new home, she said.

There is no waterproofing and insulation in the building and the basement has suffered extensive damage from water and mold, Dixon said.

The most damage was done to Morrill Hall in the 1970s, when the building was sandblasted. The bricks in Morrill Hall were fired in Ames and did not handle sandblasting well, and degradation significantly increased, she said.

Main additions to the building include another stairwell to improve accessibility and an elevator, Dixon said. The roof will also be replaced.

Historic Preservation Commission member Sara Converse said she has seen the project grow from just an idea a few years ago.

“[We] didn’t have much hope then,” she said. “Now we have a lot.”

At this point, $3.25 million have been raised for the renovation of Morrill Hall, Dixon said. The estimated budget of the project is around $9 million.

Dixon said it would be cheaper for the university to tear Morrill Hall down, and construct a new building.

Morrill Hall is being renovated because ISU President Gregory Geoffroy, alumni and the ISU community have indicated they do not want to lose the building, Dixon said.